CLEVELAND, OH -- Jonathan Mitnick, Vice President of CCS Stone, Inc., and Managing Partner of Marble Devices, U.S., accepted the Chairmanship of MIA's Safety Committee during the committee's semi-annual meeting at Coverings 2014. Mitnick takes over for current Chair, Jim Nikolopoulos, Director of Operations at Walker Zanger, who will remain active on the committee following a two year stint as chairman.
JonMitnick
Jon Mitnick

MIA's Safety Committee is made up of some of the most talented safety and operations managers in the stone industry. Ted Skaff, GranQuartz/Pearl Abrasive Co., will serve as Vice-Chair. A charter member of the committee, Mitnick finds his new role both challenging and disconcerting. "I’ve seen and heard of too many fatalities or near-misses that, when examined, could have been avoided had better operating procedures been in place," said Mitnick. "I feel this committee is helping to fill the need by developing and publishing best practices for the stone industry."

"We have safety experts from twenty-two North American and multi-national companies sitting at the table," said Skaff. "We are competitors in the marketplace, but in these meetings, we work together for the safety and health of the people in the entire industry."

Outgoing Chair Nikolopoulos reinforced Skaff's statement. "The Safety Committee is a highly dedicated group of volunteers encompassing the distributor, equipment and risk management sectors of the stone industry," he said. "Over the last several years, we have identified issues and provided seriously needed safety solutions for our industry."

Committee accomplishments over the past year include a "Health & Safety in the Stone Business" manual revised for Ontario, Canada (also available in French Canadian), a new Slab Clamp Safety video and monthly toolbox talks/safety meeting agendas. For more information on these and other safety related items, please see http://www.marble institute.com/education/safety.cfm.